Punishment
by Lendrycia
Summary: What if, Kakashi has been hiding his own age and he's only a few years older than he students? Join Team Kakashi as they embark on a mission, as one from Kakashi's past is back to haunt him. My first fanfic! Review please!
1. Punishment

**Hello! This is my first fan fic! Hope you guys'll like it.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING FROM THE NARUTO WORLD**

_Another miss, _Kakashi sighed, _and he sounded so sure…_

Trying and failing to ignore the loud quarrel between his two remaining students, Kakashi sighed again. This is definitely not helping his headache.

" Like I said," Naruto whined, " I didn't know it was a lie! That old man told me, he saw a teenager with black hair travelling with 3 other people, of course I'll think its Sasuke!"

"BAKA!" Sakura yelled, hitting Naruto hard on his head.

"OW! What did you do that for?" Naruto answered, nursing his new bruise.

"I just want to find Sasuke." Naruto trailed off, sadness in his voice.

Sakura noticed this too, and she let out a loud sigh. " Naruto," she explains" I want to find him too. But we can't do this recklessly. "

"But-"

"Sakura's right, Naruto," Kakashi cut in. It really was reckless for them to just chase after something a random old man told them. And they didn't inform the Hokage…

The thought of Tsunade's shouting sent a chill down Kakashi's spine. _Oh boy…_

They held their breath, preparing for the upcoming shouting and most possibly trip out of the window.  
_What must come will come. _Kakashi told himself, and opened the door, bracing himself for the screaming.

Tsunade was working, muttering curses under her breath as she signed off another file. And a knock was heard.

"Come in!" _Better no be the elders. I swear if they are going to –_

"Hokage-sama." Kakashi appeared, with his two students following behind.

It was just a moment, Tsunade's eyes showed relief. And as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared, replaced by anger.

"WHERE DID YOU GUYS DISAPPEAR TO? "

"Hokage-sama, we went to look for Sasuke."

"AND DID YOU FIND HIM?"

"No."

"But Tsunade baa-chan, that old man said-"

"Which old man?"

" I don't know his name…I met him in a mission a while ago, he told me he has clues about Sasuke. I paid him 500 ryo for the information!"

Kakashi sighed. _Did Naruto have to make all of them seem this stupid?_

"YOU ALL WENT AFTER SASUKE BECAUSE OF SOME STUPID LIE? KAKASHI I EXPECTED MUCH MORE FROM YOU. DO YOU KNOW I ALMOST SENT A RETRIEVAL TEAM AFTER YOU GUYS!"

"But Kakas- OW!" Naruto yelped, after Sakura punched him in his stomach.

"Just shut up for a while."

"KAKASHI, AS THE SENSEI OF TEAM 7, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WILL BE PUNISHED."

"… Yes Hokage sama."

A smirk appeared over Tsunade's face as she pondered over the possible punishment for Kakashi. _Maybe I should ban him from reading Icha Icha Paradise for a month. That'll probably teach him not to be so reckless again._ It was then another idea appeared. _This will be interesting._

"Remove the henge."

Tsunade knew she made a right decision immediately as the small visible portion of Kakashi's face paled. And that made her more satisfied.

"Whaa-What?"

Naruto and Sakura stood, shocked. What henge was the Hokage talking about?

" Remove the henge." Tsunade repeated firmly. " The mask as well. "

Kakashi's face paled even more. _No, this can't be happening._

" Y-You promised! You promised not to reveal it!"_ If the others find out..._Kakashi shuddered at the thought of it.

"I'm hokage."

That was enough to shut Kakashi up. Tsunade love to use her position like this. It was, after all, one of the few good points of a Hokage.

The two students just stared at the weird conversation. It wasn't really a conversation actually. They were observing Kakashi. Why was he reacting like this? What henge were they talking about? And did they mention the mask?

Extremely reluctant, Kakashi released the henge. The mask disappeared with it as well.

The two students stared. Because under the smoke, in Kakashi's place, a miniature sized of Kakashi appeared. His silver hair remains unchanged, and he is as tall as Naruto, wait. He is a little taller, if one really squint. He is wearing a black sleeveless shirt, with gloves and arm guards. His pants were similar to the one the Anbu wore. Black. Kakashi's constant half lidded eye that showed nothing but laziness was replaced by a big, young eye. His right eye showed his sharingan, and the scar across it seemed larger than usual, on his small, childish face. The usual uncaring expression Kakashi wore was replaced by a childish put. His headband hung on his neck, just like Hinata. His skin was smooth and white. Sakura couldn't help but blushed.

"WHAT?"

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**How was it? Anyway, thank you for reading! Reviews are deeply appreciated! Thank you!**


	2. Looks

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING FROM THE NARUTO WORLD.**

"WHAT HAPPENED TO KAKASHI-SENSEI?"

" Relax Naruto, that's just his true form," Tsunade said, " And, wow, Kakashi, you really didn't grow much did you?"

"Hmph!" Kakashi folded his arms, refusing to face Tsunade. He felt his face heat up. He hadn't felt so.. naked before.

"Bu-but he seems like he is only twenty years old!" Sakura said, eyes not peeling from her teacher.

Tsunade chuckled, earning a glare from Kakashi. That only made her laughed harder. Without his mask and his henge, reading Kakashi is like reading a book. She knew, that since young Kakashi always had been a kid full of expressions, but seeing it again certainly brings back old memories.

"You see, your sensei here, has a ,erm..problem. He finds it tough to be a ninja without his henge. Ask Kakashi about that later."

"How long would this punishment last?" Kakashi asked.

"One mission. You can use the henge again after you finish your next mission. I have the exact right one for your team."

They left the hokage office, with Kakashi looking very uncomfortable, and Sakura and Naruto looking at him. Staring, in fact. Kakashi's pout never left his face, Sakura noticed.

Naruto found it quite unbelievable, for this sudden change in his sensei. He looked.. young. And open. It was so unlike the usual Kakashi. Despite knowing him for three years, Naruto never knew much about him. Kakashi disliked talking about his past, and he never talks about his family either. The only thing he knew about his sensei, was that he is a perverted, lazy sensei, but is very reliable when time calls for it and he loves his comrades more than anything. Now, Naruto wasn't sure of it anymore.

"erm..Sensei?"

"hmm?" Kakashi tilted his head towards him. It felt weird for both of them. They are about the same height now.

" Why did you hide your age and looks?"

Sakura looked at Kakashi, she wanted to know the answer as well. In fact, the question had been tugging at her mind for a while now. She was just contemplating if she should ask it or not, before Naruto asked it for her.

"Naruto," Kakashi sighed. He knew this question would come sooner or later. "How would you feel if a six year turn up one day at our training and I told you he would be in team 7 from now on?"

"I would think that either you're stupid. Or you're playing a prank. What can a 6 year old kid do?"

"Precisely."

"I see…" Sakura murmured. Naurto just looked plain confused. "See what? What did you see?"

Kakashi rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. He dreaded explaining things to people, Naruto especially.

"Well, I disliked the way people treat me because of my age, and size," Kakashi started, murmuring the last part just loud enough to hear.

Sakura did her best to keep the smile off her face. She recognizes her Sensei as many things: strong and reliable sensei when fighting, strict yet lazy mentor when training, and caring with a tinge of weird obsession with a perverted book when off duty. But never a young handsome lad that is so sensitive with his height, or lack off, with a childish pout never leaving his face.

Throughout these few minutes of having his mask down, Kakashi showed an amazingly huge variety of expressions, for him, that is. His constant poker face or the I-don't-care vibe he always gives out seemed to disappear with his mask. He blushes really often. And Sakura's mischievous side kicked in.

"What about the mask?"

Sakura accidentally let out a chuckle when Kakashi' face flushed red. Naruto laughed out loud.

Kakashi fought to stop himself from nervous, while trying to look for an answer that will please both of his students at the same time. Luckily, a roar of laughter coming from behind him saved him. _No, not him! This day is getting worst.._

That laughter could only belong to one person, and it didn't help when a softer chattering followed it. Kakashi and his students turned to see Guy, Kurenai and Asuma walking towards them, still oblivious about their present.

_Good. Now we just have to silently walk away while they are still chattering away…_"GUY SENSEI!"

_Crap._

Three pairs of eyes turned to them immediately. They smiled at Sakura and Naruto, till their eyes fell on the third person standing with them. Their eyes widened as they walked towards them. Kakashi silently cursed, he knew he had to get out of here, as soon as possible!

Naruto and Sakura were seriously enjoying this. Kakashi made a mental list of things he will make them do after this is all over. Hell training for 5 hours straight. Cheat them into not eating lunch before that. D ranked missions for a week. Confiscate all cup ramen in Naruto's room. Make Sakura clean Naruto's r-

" 5000 ryo." Asuma said with a smug smile on his face, his hand stretched out towards his 2 other companions.

"Fine!" The other said and smacked a stack of cash on his hand unwillingly.

Asuma must have caught the confused look in Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi, as he started explaining. "Years ago, I made a bet with Kurenai and Guy, saying that you are hiding your real height and age. They didn't believe. "

"Ho-how did you find out?" Kakashi found himself asking.

"My oyaji is the third, remember? I spent my childhood running around and making a mess in the hokage's room. I saw one of your documents then."

"MY DEAR RIVAL! I WOULD NEVER HAVE BELIEVED ASUMA, TILL I SAW YOU LIKE THIS!" Guy bellowed, before bursting out laughing again.

Kakashi was just about to turn and walk away when a large white haired man suddenly appeared in a flash of smoke from behind him and place Kakashi in a headlock. While Kakashi's skills were still the same before, his current size had placed him in a major disadvantage, and to add it on, the person placing him in this current situation is one of the strongest shinobi in the whole village, plus one of the legendary sannin.

"Ero sennin!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Yo! Naruto!" Jiraiya said, and turned to Kakashi, who is currently trying his best to remove himself from such an embarrassing situation. "Kakashi! So what Tsunade said was true! You really didn't grow much!"

The others burst into laughter. Jiraiya took that as an encouragement, and he decided to do something he knew Kakashi hated the most. He started ruffling Kakashi's hair.

"St-Stop it! Jiraiya-sama! Jiraiya-sama! Stop it!" Kakashi's face was red like a tomato, as he struggled to remove Jiraiya's large palm from his head. Jiraiya smile did not falter. It was nostalgic. He knew Kakashi since he was a kid; he saw how Kakashi went through all the horrible things that no kid should go through. He saw how Kakashi forced himself to grow up, even if his small body could not handle it.

"Oji-Chan, stop it!" _Did I just.. Crap, I called him Oji-Chan!_ The laughter ceased for as Naruto and the others looked in amusement.

"How long has it been since you last called me that, hmm? You were such a kid back then.." Jiraiya teased. Kakashi straightened his clothes and cleared his throat, desperately trying to get back any amount of dignity he had left.

"I'm an adult already." Kakashi said in his serious voice, which was really unconvincing, with his face flushed red.

Naruto and Sakura could not help but wonder when did Jiraiya and Kakashi become so close. "Judging by what Jiraiya said, he must have known Kakashi –sensei since he was a kid," Sakura thought, "he may be able to tell us more about Kakashi-sensei!"

"Anyway, Jiraiya-sama," Kakashi turned to Jiraiya, "I believe you're here not only to make fun of me. "

"There's a mission assigned to team seven. I'm just here to relay it to you. This mission is slightly special." Jiraiya explained as he fished out a scroll from his pocket and handed it to Kakashi. Kakashi's eyes widened as he read the mission._ No.. Iwagakure..._

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**How was it? Its a little long this time,no? Hope you liked it! As always, review appreciated! Thank you!**


	3. The mission The villain

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING FROM THE NARUTO WORLD. HERE IT IS,THE THIRD CHAPTER!**

" For the past few months, all konoha shinobi that had been deployed into Iwagakure went missing. Our mission is to enter Iwagakure and investigate this matter, and eliminate whoever's responsible," Kakashi explained as they hopped from tree to tree.

"Could Iwagakure be responsible for this? I mean, Konoha's relationship with Iwa had not been a very good one," Sakura asked.

Kakashi shook his head. "The Tsuchikage had denied it and had started his own investigation."

Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura and Jiraiya had been travelling for about 2 days now, and as Jiraiya and Kakashi said, they will reach the designated area in a while. Jiraiya had been requested by Tsunade to join Team 7 in the mission, as despite the small possibility, the Iwa could had been responsible for these disappearances. The title 'sannin' can be useful then.

From the corner of his eye, Jiraiya silently observed Kakashi. He knew how Kakashi hated going into Iwagakure. During the time when Sarutobi was still alive, Sarutobi actually made it a point to never assign Kakashi to any mission involving Iwa. But now he is dead, and Tsunade had taken over. Tsunade insisted that Kakashi should "grow up and accept the fact that during emergencies, he cannot choose where he will be deployed." What Tsunade said made sense, Kakashi needed to let go off his past, but Jiraiya knew that the past had to let go off him as well.

Kakashi dreaded every step they were taking. This place, was a reminder for his past mistakes, something he had tried so hard to lock away. Every tree, every branch reminded him of his failure as a friend, as a teammate and as a shinobi. Memories of his father, Rin, Minato and Obito played in his mind. All the happy, joyful times they shared. These almost made Kakashi smile. Almost. He felt horrible, like a kunai stabbed into his chest was removed, and plunged in again and again, as the scenes in his mind slowly fade, the smiles fading, turning into looks of pain, agony, then death. _Think of anbu, think of anbu! Emotions are tools, they are usel-, Obito gave me a lecture about it just before he died, didn't he? Obito…I couldn't keep his promise to keep Rin safe… Rin… _Kakashi silently cursed. He tried again, convincing himself to stay away from the guilt of not listening to Obito again. He could blame himself afterwards.

Naruto and Sakura noticed how tense their sensei was for this entire trip. His eyebrows were deeply furrowed, he had not touched his perverted book yet, and he was quieter than normal. Naruto did not like how Kakashi seemed like he was hiding things from them, and how he seemed to be at war with himself.

" Sensei, is there anything wrong?" Naruto finally asked.

"Hmm?" _Crap, they realized._

"You're tenser than usual."

"Mmm… "

" Naruto's right. Sensei, you have been behaving weirdly since we started this mission."

Kakashi's sighed. "Lets just say.. I'm not really fond of Iwa."

"Why?"

Kakashi went silent for a while. When he finally spoke, it was less then a whisper. "Bad things happened in the past few times I had been here."

Naruto was about to asked for more details, when Jiraiya announced that they arrived already. Kakashi gave a look to Jiraiya, silently thanking him for that. Jiraiya simply nodded.

They gathered in a small clearing in the forest, and Jiraiya started explaining.

"From this point onwards, we're in a danger zone. So, be alert and do not, I repeat, DO NOT wander off on your own. I'm talking to you, Naruto."Naruto scowled. "If my assumption is correct, the shinobis that disappeared are all dead, thus making the target highly dangerous. And to make sure you, Naruto, don't do anything reckless, let me just say that the shinobis that disappeared includes 7 chuunins, 5 jounins and 4 anbus."

"Wow. That's a lot!" Naruto exclaimed.

"Precisely, that's why I want you to be on your best behavior. Get it?"

"Hai~"

They had been walking for the past few hours now, and Naruto was getting bored. This 'danger zone', like how Jiraiya said, did not seem anymore different from the ones back in Konoha. Naruto looked at both of his team leaders. Jiraiya was happily strolling beside him, looking as relaxed as ever. But Naruto knew, that despite looking so carefree, Jiraiya's guards were always up. Kakashi, on the other hand, was walking a little more in front, hands shoved in his pockets, not uttering a single word. "I wonder what happened to Kakashi sensei here?" Naruto wondered to himself.

Just as Naruto opened his mouth, he saw Kakashi and Jiraiya tensed and Kakashi backed closer to the rest of the gang immediately. A black shadow jumped out of the bushes and the next thing Naruto saw was Kakashi's kunai clashing with a sword. The shadow was forced backwards and was just able to dodge Jiraiya's kick from the side. He leaped backwards, a few meters away from the team.

The first thing Naruto and Sakura noticed was how blood was stained on the attacker's robe. None of the blood seemed like it belongs to the attacker himself though. Every part of him was covered in that blood stained robe of his, the only exception is the lower part of his face. His smile sent a chill down both Naruto and Sakura's spine. The attacker's body shook suddenly, and Naruto and Sakura tensed up, getting ready for the upcoming attack. But both of them did not expect the attacker to start chuckling, and slowly, his chuckles escalating, louder and louder. "Finally…"

Kakashi's eyes widened. _This voice… No…_

" Are you the one that was responsible for all the disappearances?" Jiraiya asked.

The attacker turned to Jiraiya and whistled. " A sannin? Another one to die for you, Kakashi?"

Kakashi froze on the spot. His right hand clenching the kunai so hard that he was trembling. A mixture of fear and anger was stirring within him. _Matsuda…_

Naruto and Sakura looked at their sensei. _Sensei knows this person? _Their eyes fixed on their sensei's shaking hands. For the past 3 years they knew Kakashi, they had gotten themselves into quite a lot of scary fights with insanely strong people, but Kakashi never showed this much fear or anger before.

"WHO ARE YOU?" Naruto shouted.

The attacker cocked his head towards Naruto, and Naruto could feel a pair of eyes scanning him, then Sakura.

"Are these your students? I've never expected you, out of all people to have students, Kakashi."

Kakashi stood in front of Naruto and Sakura protectively. "You'll leave my students out of this, Matsuda."

Matsuda chuckled again and slowly removed his robe. He should be in his thirties, Sakura noted. He had black, raven hair that reached his shoulder and he was wearing a black long sleeved shirt with a vest over it. His pants were normal black jounin pants; similar to the one Kakashi was wearing.

"So you remember me after all. I was getting worried that you'll forget me." Matsuda paused. "You did not change much did you? It seemed like you hardly aged."

"This is none of your business."

"Chit chat aside, I repeat, Matsuda," Jiraiya said, "were you the ones responsible for the disappearances of all the konoha shinobis?"

Matsuda burst out laughing again," those useless thrash can hardly be called a shinobi! They hardly provided any entertainment for me. "

"HOW COULD YOU?" Naruto screamed and ran towards Matsuda, and almost choked when Kakashi grabbed him by the collar.

"This man is strong. Stay back," Kakashi warned.

"Quite a protective one aren't you, Kakashi? It certainly brings back memories… especially now I can see your face. You really resemble that coward, don't you? The pathetic white fang." _The white fang? How is all these related to Kakashi-sensei?_

"That fool, constantly talking about teamwork and comrades. He's too soft! But there's one thing I must praise him for though…" Matsuda's eyes landed on Kakashi. "To do something so cruel to a 5 years old kid… It was probably the best thing he ever did! Let me ask you, Kakashi, how did it feel, to see your own father commit suicide?"

_Sensei saw his father commit suicide? At 5? That's…That's horrible._ Naruto threw a worried glance at Kakashi-sensei. He had never seen his sensei this angry before. Kakashi's eyes shone rage and fury, his lips quivering, giving off a deep growl. If looks could kill, Naruto was sure Matsuda would be dead by now. Not for the first time, Naruto was glad Kakashi was on his side.

Matsuda, on the other hand, was not disturbed by Kakashi's murderous glare. In fact, he grin grew wider. "I was there, you know. That night." Kakashi 's eyes widened. "I saw how your father committed suicide. The way you stared at your father's body without a word, and then your sensei and that sannin appeared. I saw your outburst when your sensei tried to get you to look away; your sudden screams and your desperate attempt to break free from your sensei and the sannin, just to run back to your father. It was fun to watch!"

Naruto could not help but imagined what it was like. A younger Kakashi, screaming, while the forth and ero-sennin held him back. _I can't believe sensei went through all these. _Naruto felt his eyes water, his sensei, the one he knew, always seem so nonchalant, so cheerful, and even without his mask, Naruto still felt that same vibe Kakashi always give off, with only a new element of childishness.

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Sorry for the abrupt stop! How was it? Hope you like it! Pardon me for my grammar and other mistakes eh? Next chapter will answer more questions about this sadistic Matsuda, and Rin will be mentioned(I assume)! Please review~

Ciao for now!

**-Lendrycia**


	4. A stupid thing to do

Despite how much I wanted to, I do not own Kakashi, or any of the Naruto characters. The only thing I own here is Matsuda!

Have fun reading!

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Sakura did not like how things were going. They are currently facing a killer with serious mental issues, not to exclude that he is strong as hell. Her sensei, seemed like he's about to pounce over and tear said killer apart anytime. The strongest among them, the sannin, did not seemed much calmer as well. And the shouting beside her is not helping the situation.

But more than annoyed, she was worried. She knew, that despite how Kakashi carries himself, or at least, how he wants to be seen, the real Kakashi is far from that. Once in a while, Sakura would notice the gaze in Kakashi's eyes, longing and sad, then as abruptly as it appeared, it would disappear, hiding any trace of it's existence. She knew that Kakashi's wrath was something to be feared of. She had seen it a couple of times, the first during the fight with Zabuza.

A disgustingly high pitch laugher interrupted her thoughts, Matsuda threw his head back , a hand clutching his stomach. Kakashi tensed further, if it was possible. "Look at yourself, Kakashi! You're angry at me aren't you? And I thought you learned a lot from anbu."

_He's just making me lose my cool. Do not fall into his trap. Remember Anbu! _Kakashi repeated these phrases in his head. He just wanted to jump at Matsuda ,severing his head before he even had the chance to react. _No, _he told himself again. He sighed mentally, knowing that he had no choice but to do what he always do when he was younger. He never wanted to show this side of him to his students, as he doubt he could look into their eyes like before again. Maybe, they would not even want to look into his eyes after this.

_Anbu, anbu, anbu…._

He chanted that one word in his mind like a sutra, reliving all the memories of his anbu life, what did it felt, to be a heartless killing machine.

Then he shoved all of his emotions away, locked deep down in his heart.

Jiraiya knew this mission would not turn out well. He should had listened to that nagging feeling that was practically screaming at him back at Konoha. It took almost all of him to keep his voice leveled, his face calm. He noticed, that Kakashi was not taking to well though. His memories flashed back to the few years after Sakumo's death. It felt like it was yesterday, he saw Kakashi standing over his father's lifeless corpse, silent and unnervingly still. This worried Jiraiya. He would rather see Kakashi screaming and wailing over the loss of his only family, than seeing him trying to keep everything within himself. No matter how much of a genius was he, Kakashi was only a five year old kid. Jiraiya was conscious of his student making his way to Kakashi, whispering comforts and enveloping in a hug. Stepping out of his shock, he walked over to his dead friend, placing 2 fingers over his neck, hoping against hope that would be a pulse. There wasn't.

Then the floodgates opened, as Kakashi suddenly thrashed and managed to get away from Minato. Kakashi screamed and used his shoulder to knock Jiraya away. Jiraiya allowed himself to fall a few steps backwards. Kakashi dug his head into Sakumo's chest and screamed into it. Jiraiya's heart melted at Kakashi's pleads to Sakumo, begging him not to leave him alone. A tear escaped out of Minato's eye, as he watched his usually stoic and calm student screaming and begging. It hurt both of the elder (alive) ones to realise Kakashi was indeed affected by the villagers rumours, despite how Kakashi always shrug it off nonchalantly. After what seemed like hours, the screaming descended to small sobs and Minato placed a hand over Kakashi's shoulder.

"Kakashi…" He tightened his grip, trying to get Kakashi's attention. No response. He tried again, harder this time, pulling Kakashi's shoulder backwards. Slowly, Kakashi raised his head, and Minato took this chance to turn his student's head so that his was looking into his eyes. Another tear escaped Minato's eye as he saw the grief in Kakashi. He brought Kakashi into another hug ,wrapping his arms around his student, allowing his student to sob quietly into his chest. "I'm here. It'll be alright. I'll be with you. It'll be alright."

Jiraiya could guessed what Kakashi was whispering from Minato's answers. He glanced over his dead friend,_ You're a fool , Sakumo. Look at your son. Look at what you did to him…_

Jiraiya was pulled back into the present. Whatever Matsuda said to Kakashi while he was stuck thinking about the past, was definitely not good. Jiraiya managed to catch the last word of his sentence though, "-anbu."

Dread filled Jiraiya. Getting Kakashi into anbu business was something Jiraiya sees as a taboo. And before Jiraiya could step in put a stop in Matsuda's words, Kakashi abruptly walked a few steps forward. Jiraiya cursed mentally, he was too late.

Naruto and Sakura flinched at the sudden change in their sensei. He was not trembling anymore, his face was completely void of emotions, his mismatched eyes showing pure malice.

Kakashi pointed the kunai at Matsuda, causing Matsuda to tilt his head in confusion. The sudden change in Kakashi was something he did not expect. "I see you had finally decided to fight me. Good! I hope you don't disappoint me like before!" Matsuda taunted. Kakashi continued to point his kunai at him, eyes staring into him .Matsuda threw in several more taunts and Kakashi was not fazed at all. _Interesting._

Then Kakashi disappeared and appeared behind him holding the kunai at his neck, driving it in. Matsuda managed to kick backwards before the kunai could cause more damage. His kick met air as Kakashi ducked underneath it, and leaped forward pointing his kunai at Matsuda's heart.

Naruto and Sakura watched in awe and fear as they witness the fight in front of them. Every move Kakashi made was to kill. Unlike how he normally fights, this fight was silent. No occasional smirks or taunts, no attempts to make peace. None. It was as if he just wanted to kill. Like that was all there was in this world.

Jiraiya turned to Naruto and Sakura, recognizing the emotions balantly displayed on their faces. He did not blame them for the fear in their eyes, their hands trembling. The first time he saw Kakashi like that, he was rendered speechless. He was a sannin after all, sannin don't tremble. His gaze returned to Kakashi, who was charging a full force raikiri towards the opponent, the electricity cracking loudly . Matsuda eyes widened,recognizing instantly the fatality of that move.

Kakashi thrust his arm into Matsuda's heart, and drove it further in, till it could be seen from the back. Naruto was so tempted to cheer.

Then there was a poof, and in Matsuda's place, there was a log, splintered by the attack. If Kakashi was surprised, he did not show it at all.

"A replacement?" Naruto gasped.

Sakura watched as Kakashi's nose twitched. She suppressed a smile, _how can someone look so adorable sniffing for his kill? _

Jiraiya scanned their surroundings warily;he could still feel Kakashi's murderous intent, it was choking. _He can smell Matsuda, Matsuda should be close._

In a flash, Matsuda appeared on top of Kakashi, swinging his sword down to Kakashi who sensed the attack. Kakashi managed to dodged the blow, but not before receiving a deep slash across his torso.

"SENSEI!" both Naruto and Sakura screamed.

Jiraiya ran forward. He did not want to interrupt the fight before, but now things are getting out of hand. Kakashi's anger and pride comes later.

Matsuda and Kakashi, on the other hand, did not plan to stop though. The moment Matsuda landed, he kicked, and Kakashi blocked with his arms, forced back by a few steps. Matsuda charged at him with his blade, not willing to give Kakashi a break. Kakashi tightened his grip on the kunai and let his chakra flow through it. The kunai crackle with electricity, and Kakashi ran towards Matsuda.

_No, no,no! _Jiraiya recognized that look of Kakashi. It's probably the only expression he allowed himself to display when he's in this mode. That smirk in his eyes that appeared when he knows he won, and that slight twitch of his eyebrows that showed when he needed to remind himself about the mission. And Kakashi's determination never wavers.

Only when he plans to do something really stupid. And among the list of stupid the things Kakashi had done (which is unexpectedly quite long), suicide attempt was way top of the list.

Naruto and Sakura screamed, as the Kakashi literally ran into the blade, the blade protruding out from his right shoulder. Matsuda plunged it deeper till Kakashi reached the hilt. Ignoring the excruciating pain in his right shoulder, Kakashi leaned forward and forced his arm to move. The pain seemed to multiply as his apparent movement seemed to make the wound wider, but Kakashi, who underwent both anbu and interrogation resistance training, could endure this. For now. He stabbed the kunai into Matsuda's abdomen, and allowed himself to enjoy the look of agony and shock etched in Matsuda's face.

Jiraiya kicked Matsuda from the back, away from his student's student. He reached for Kakashi as Kakashi dropped to the floor.

"You idiot!"

Kakashi was in a daze for a moment, his eyes not seeing. Naruto and Sakura ran over and Sakura placed her palms over Kakashi's wound, while Naruto was screaming "Hang it there!"

Kakashi blinked, and Jiraiya had to smile as he saw the light back in his eyes. _At least the normal Kakashi is back._

"Sensei, you idiot! What did you do that for?"

Kakashi grinned sheepishly as he looked at his pink haired student, who had tears in her eyes.

"Don't smile if off like that! IDIOT SENSEI!" Kakashi cringed at Naruto's volume. Kakashi could feel the pain reside. It still hurts though. Now that the adrenaline wears off, Kakashi could feel the blood loss taking its' effect. His vision blurred, and he heard the trio towering over him scream his name. "Matsuda.." was the only word that he managed to squeeze out of his mouth before falling into the darkness.

* * *

Sorry for the slow update! I was busy with school work. I'm extremely tempted to dump them all in the bin right now.

Anyway, I've never written anything with that much action before(its not A LOT of action, but...), so I apologize if it turned out horrible. And I'm so so so sorry if anyone who thought Rin would appear (like I said) in this chapter, looked forward to her appearance. I assure you that she will appear though!

Thats all for now!

Ciao!

- Lendrycia


	5. Sakumo

**Last time I checked, I don't owe any part of Naruto and the characters in it.** **ENJOY!~**

Kakashi was quite sure he heard a couple of gasps before he felt nothing. He wanted to open his eyes, and ask them what was wrong, but his eyelids felt like it was glued together. He could feel himself falling into the darkness, even though he was desperately trying to get up. _Get up. Wake up!_ The ringing in his head was so loud he could barely hear himself. _They may be in danger! Wake up!_ He had to get up, no matter how much his body needed the rest. He can rest when he's dead.

Kakashi was about to open his eyes when he felt a weight on his eyelids. A hand, Kakashi reckoned, was not allowing him to open his eyes, and the owner of it was obvious. _Who else will have a hand this big, and not try to kill him?_

_Jiraiya-sama…Oji-chan…_ A finger eased his tightly knitted brows, and Kakashi found himself relaxing to the touch. "Its fine. Rest..." a rough voice whispered into his ear. _He's here, I'm not alone._ For a moment, Kakashi felt that he was a kid again.

* * *

"Its fine. Rest…" Jiraiya whispered. He signaled for Naruto and Sakura to be quiet, and thankfully, they understood._ They must have seen the how tensed Kakashi was when he heard them gasp. … _Jiraiya knew, that if he did not assure Kakashi of his presence, Kakashi would definitely force himself awake just to make sure everything is at Kakashi's bare face, Jiraiya was suddenly reminded how young Kakashi was, and he could not help but feel sorry for Kakashi. He could not say it out loud though; Kakashi would kill him for that. Nonetheless, Jiraiya witnessed how Kakashi learnt the lesson of pain too early, and too often. That's why, Jiraiya did not find Kakashi's attempt to wake up even if he's half dead surprising. Unfortunately, he had already witnessed it quite a few times. Jiraiya smiled a bit, as Kakashi's body relaxed. The least Jiraiya could do now was to let Kakashi sleep peacefully for a while.

Jiraiya removed his hand from Kakashi's forehead slowly after he was sure Kakashi was completely resting. Naruto and Sakura watched the strange interaction between Jiraiya and their sensei, and wondered, not for the first time, how close they actually were.

"His scent is gone. He should be far from here already," Jiraiya sighed. When Kakashi murmured 'Matsuda' before he fainted, the others knew what he meant immediately. It was careless of them to not check Matsuda's pulse before heading over to worry about the Kakashi.

And now, the land where Matsuda is supposed to lay dead is now bare.

* * *

Naruto watched the fire cackle with life, and absent-mindedly toss a pebble in it. The events that happened on that day itself kept replaying in his mind, the freak Matsuda, Kakashi's father and Kakashi's cold eyes. _There are so many things I don't know about sensei…_

"Naruto." Sakura called from behind, interrupting Naruto's thoughts.

"Sakura-chan. How's he?"

" Sensei's fine."

" I see…" Naruto trailed away. They watched the fire dance in front of them in silence, both lost in their thoughts. The fire outlining their features, both with eyebrows knitted together.

" What are you guys doing?" Jiraiya's loud voice startled them.

" J-just thinking.." Sakura answered, unsure.

"Any clues?" Naruto asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Nope," Jiraiya sighed," that bastard disappeared. Not even a scent of him was left."

Naruto nodded, disappointment in his eyes. He wanted to find and catch Matsuda before Kakashi woke up. He wouldn't want to see his normally cheerful sensei like that again.

Jiraiya obviously felt that uncertainty in the air. It was suffocating. He flopped down to the floor across the 2 younger shinobis, and sighed (how many time did he do it today?).

"You guys are troubled over what you saw today right?"

Naruto and Sakura looked up abruptly, surprised of Jiraiya's sudden interruption.

"Ero-sennin," Naruto said, without looking into his eyes. " Was what Matsuda said true?"

Jiraiya ran a hand through his long, white hair, before answering solemnly, "Yes."

" That's terrible." Sakura whispered. She had hoped what Matsuda said was not true, despite witnessing how badly Kakashi reacted to it. But after hearing this conformation, she knew she had to accept the truth, even if she hated it.

" B-But Sensei didn't tell us anything!"

"Naruto, there are many things you don't know about your sensei. But there is one thing I think even you would have understood by now. Kakashi's past is not something to be talked about. "

"B-but doesn't he trust us? We have been his students for 3 years!" Sakura retorted, anger in her voice. She was not angry with anyone though, she was disappointed with herself. These years, she had took pride in being the only female member of their team, and had made it her responsibility to be the humane and softer side of this whole screwed up team.

" Believe me, he trusts you guys with all his heart."

"B-Bu—"

" He just didn't want you guys to see the other side of him. Either that, or him simply doesn't want to remember those times."

" Those times? You mean, there were more?" Sakura asked, shocked. Just what kind of past Kakashi had?

_Crap. _" I'm not obliged to tell you the other things, but I can tell you about Kakashi's father though." _Doesn't matter when they know this much already right, Kakashi?_

"What's his name? I only heard of the title 'White Fang', but no one mentioned his real name." Naruto asked eagerly, wanting to know more about his teacher.

"His name is Hatake Sakumo, he is one of my best friends. A genius in his era, and was an incredible shinobi. More than anything, he loves Konoha and his genius son, Kakashi. " Jiraiya stated matter-of-factly.

Naruto smiled at that thought,_ at least sensei had a person to care and love him when he was a kid._

"Why did he commit suicide?" Sakura asked. She caught the look of pain and surprise in Jiraiya's eyes, before Jiraiya removed it. _His death must have affected Jiraiya-sama badly as well._

"Well. One thing you guys must note, is that Kakashi's a genius since he was a kid-"

"Yeah, we got that part already, just tell us!"

" No," Jiraiya denied, face stern and serious, "listen up, I want you guys to understand everything about this matter. I don't want you guys to misunderstand anything that I'm going to say, and I really hope you'll see this in Kakashi's point of view. Kakashi's been misjudged enough in his life." Jiraiya knew it was important for them in Kakashi's shoes, because what Kakashi did was not morally right, in a way. They have to understand.

Jiraiya cleared his throat, and started," Kakashi had been undergoing training since he was 3. His father had high expectations from him, and he was constantly trying to prove himself. While the others of his age are probably learning how to run, he was learning how to kill with a shuriken."

Sakura and Naruto gaped. They knew Kakashi had been a genius, but not to this extend!

"Amazing!"

" Like I was saying, Kakashi's whole life was about training and he obviously did not have a normal childhood, one which he could play with toys and the others. Kakashi's an introvert, and he hardly trusts anyone, so the fact that he did not have any friends probably did not bother him much. In fact, he did not even speak with anyone other than Sakumo, Minato and I. With the occasional Tsunade, but mostly out of fear though."

_Sensei, an introvert? A shy sensei should be cute…_

"Minato? As in the yondaime?" Naruto almost shouted.

"Yes. Keep your volume down." Jiraiya so wanted to face palm himself now.

"Baka- Naruto!"

"Sorry."

" Anyway, before he could even pronounce words properly, he was taught the shinobi rules. So, he grew up holding on to that, and sadly, that got him thinking that a shinobi should never show his emotions. A stupid rule, that is. During the war, no matter how much Sakumo could worry about it, Kakashi was often left alone to fend and take care of himself because Sakumo had to be sent on missions, and no chuunins or genins were available for some D rank mission."

"He must be sad and lonely…"

"In fact, you're quite wrong, Sakura. True, Kakashi did miss his father, but Kakashi always take that chance to train himself, wanting to surprise his father for the sudden growth."

_Ok… Sensei sure is optimistic, a little like Naruto though._

" Months go on like this, Sakumo on missions, Kakashi training himself to the bone, and Konoha being constantly challenged by the other villages. By the time he was 5, Kakashi joined the academy, and graduated 3 months after."

" 3 MONTHS!" Naruto and Sakura exclaimed together.

"Volume…" Jiraiya reminded.

"3 months!" They said again, in a hushed voice.

"Yes. But that was when that happened."

"What happened?"

Sakura had an uncomfortable feeling that they were very close to Kakashi's dad's suicide by now. Matsuda did mention that Kakashi was 5 when his father committed suicide right?

" Sakumo was sent on a mission to retrieve the rations that were stolen by the Iwa."

" Then?"

Jiraiya paused, as if considering how to phrase his words properly. " He was forced to make a decision during the mission. He had to choose between the mission and his teammates."

"The teammates of course!"

" Times were different. In the end, he chose his teammates, but the choice caused great damage to Konoha. As he abandoned his mission for his teammates, the rations were not delivered to the frontlines in time, resulting great loss for the Konoha. The villagers blamed him for this loss. Even the ones he saved condemned him. He got weaker mentally and physically, and in the end, he committed seppuku. "

"That's unfair! He saved his comrades! How can the villagers do this?"

" Let Jiraiya-sama finish the story, Naruto."

Jiraiya straightened himself, and continued," Kakashi was deeply affected by his father's death. After Sakumo's death, the anger and hatred that dwelled within the villagers were directed towards Kakashi. They called him 'the traitor's son', and he was often bullied by the other shinobis above him. I lost count of the number of times I had to drag him to Tsunade because of the beatings by the joining or chuunins."

"That's horrible…" Tears welled in Sakura's eyes. She could not believe that village she loved would have such an ugly side. It did not even sound like the Konoha she knew now. Sure, she knew that there were bullies and gangsters, she had seen and heard of them from Naruto, but never did it ever crossed her mind that the villagers would cause the downfall of a once great shinobi.

" Kakashi did not understand why Sakumo broke the rules to protect his teammates, just to be deemed as a traitor in the end. He blamed his father, blamed him for abandoning him and blamed him for all the hardships. "

"Does sensei hate his father?" Naruto asked.

"He did. He did not even turn up for his funeral. But I'm sure Kakashi forgave his father already though."

" Why?"

"When you get older, your experiences in life alter the way you feel about things. You'll learn how to view things from different perspectives, just like a coin, you'll get to see the other side someday. Kakashi did, at a very young age. I'm not going to tell you the other stories, at least not tonight."

Naruto whined, and Inner Sakura cursed.

Jiraiya took a look at the dark sky dotted with stars, and instructed Sakura and Naruto to go to sleep. They nodded silently and headed to their side of the clearing, minds occupied with thoughts.

That night, both of them did not sleep a wink.

**HOW WAS IT? Sorry, its a little draggy this time. I've always wanted to write this scene. I think Naruto and Sakura should find out about Kakashi's past. A pity Kishimoto-sensei did not place much attention of it. Kakashi's past can be a great lesson for Naruto and Sakura! **(and Rin did not appear this time again. I'm hopeless.) **Please review! Thank you!**

Ciao!

-Lendrycia


	6. I don't know

**I do not own the Naruto universe in any ways. Here's the 6****th**** chapter, enjoy!**

The first thing Kakashi realized was that the previous sharp pain had now reduced to a dull ache in the shoulder. He made a mental note to praise and thank Sakura later. He tried moving some of his fingers, then toes, and was relieved to know that no one had tried to kill him when he was unconscious. But something was not right. Firstly, whatever he's lying on was rough and- are those pebbles? - was definitely not the bed of Konoha's hospital. Similar though. Judging from how stiff his muscles were, he guessed he had been unconscious for 3 days. There was more than enough time for Naruto and the others to bring him back to Konoha hospital, so why was he not there?

Kakashi opened his eyes slowly, and propped himself up by his elbow. Evidently, the wound was not completely healed yet. Kakashi winced at the action, and for the first time, he took in his surroundings.

Panic rose up his throat when he recognized the area he was in. _Iwa. _

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Naruto's overly cheerful voice rang in his ear. Kakashi turned and saw 2 gleaming blue eyes staring back at him. " Too loud."

Naruto grins sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. Kakashi felt himself ease a little at Naruto's seemingly usual behavior. "Where are the others?"

" Sakura went to get water," Naruto stopped abruptly, and looked away, not willing to look at Kakashi in the eye.

"Where did Jiraiya-sama go?"

"He…He went uh.. to search for.."

"Search for?" Kakashi persisted.

" Matsuda."

" I see." A wave of anger, shock and disappointment flushed through Kakashi, but deep down Kakashi knew it all made sense. From the few fights he had with Matsuda, Kakashi only learnt one thing. That bastard is really strong. And unpredictable. Make those 2 things then. Plus the fact that he heard the gasp before blacking out, it would be dumb of him not to even consider about the possibility of Matsuda still being alive.

_Okay.. He took it calmer than I thought. _Naruto looked at his sensei, and wondered about the things Jiraiya old him nights before.

"Sensei-"

"Kakashi-sensei! You're awake!" Sakura jogged forward, a bottle in hand." How're you feeling?"

"Fine. Your skills improved, Sakura." Kakashi flashed her a small smile.

Sakura blushed slightly. _So that's how his eye smile look likes without the mask. _

"Naruto, what did you want to say?" Kakashi turned to Naruto, and Sakura sat next to him.

"Uh.." Naruto debated with himself whether to say it or not. It was so much easier to just blurt out without thinking. "Ero sennin told us about what happened to your dad."

Kakashi nodded grimly, eyebrows furrowed in thought. He was not sure what to react. Should he feel betrayed because Jiraiya told Naruto and Sakura something he did not bother telling them? Should he feel worried because his students may look at him in a different way now? And why is he feeling relieved?

"Sensei…" Sakura said with a voice filled with concern.

"I'm fine."

"No you're not! We've seen you fight Matsuda. That was NOT FINE!" Naruto shouted. Kakashi was taken aback by Naruto's outburst. Great. Now he felt guilty for worrying his students.

"I'm sorry for worrying you guys."

Sakura's heart cringed at the pain so evident in Kakashi's young features. She had forgotten that Kakashi was in fact older than them by just a few years. The difference in maturity, strength and experience were appalling. She knew that no one is invincible, but Kakashi had always been the constant and assurance of her life, and Naruto as well. It was weird to see him so confused.

What worried Naruto most was the fact that his sensei was still not telling how he really felt. He understood what it felt to be isolated, and blamed for something he did not do; after all, he experienced it first-hand. He knew how much pain it could cause, to be consumed by the overflowing emotions of loneliness and grief, with no one to express it to. At least he lived feeling the emptiness of not seeing his parents. Kakashi lived feeling his happiness torn from him right in front of his eyes, than blamed and isolated from the village. _Sensei's like sasuke…_

Naruto remembered what Sasuke told him a long time ago. "_How would you know how I feel when you don't have family in the first place?"_

"Sensei, why didn't you tell us?"

"About?" Kakashi was quite sure what the answer is. But maybe, in one out of a million chance, Naruto would just stop talking.

"Everything. Your father, Matsuda, and many other things. Don't you trust us?"

Kakashi looked at his 2 students sitting in front of him. Out of all the questions he expected them to ask, a question regarding trust was something he did not expect. _Tsk, I'm getting caught off guard too often recently._ He thought he had already established the trust factor. For Naruto to question his trust… He's a great failure as a teacher.

"No! I trust you guys. I trust you guys even with my life. It's just that…" Kakashi was loss with words. " I don't know.." He really doesn't. Every time they asked him about his family and his past teams, he had simply brushed them off with a stupid lie or just change the topic. Yet, he did not know why he would not want to tell them.

"I don't know…" Kakashi murmured again, this time softer, as if he was speaking to himself. He ran a hand through his silver hair in exasperation and continued staring at the ground.

_Why? Why didn't I tell them? _

The same question repeated in Kakashi's mind continuously, drilling him for an answer. Kakashi looked up at the 2 people in front of him, and saw the 2 familiar blue orbs staring at him. Just that, the owner of those eyes had hair longer than Kakashi expected it to be, and that person was taller, with a face free of any scars or marks.

"Sensei…" Kakashi felt the word slip through his mouth, in a voice too young to be his. The blue eyes widened a little, and turned slightly sad, disappointment and exasperation evident; just like it always did when sensei caught him beating up Obito. "Kakashi…"

A voice was whispering to him at the back of his mind, telling him that the man in front of him was long dead. But, at this moment, even this slight moment, Sensei was with him again.

"Are you okay?" Kakashi turned to the female voice, and saw her. He would recognize that chestnut brown hair and purple streaks everywhere. It all shouted _Rin._

"Rin…"

"SENSEI!" came Naruto's loud voice. And the 2 people disappeared, in their place sat Kakashi's students, both looking worriedly at their sensei.

Kakashi cringed a little, as the tiny illusion ended and he could not help but feel the loss of his sensei and his comrade once again.

Naruto and Sakura both relaxed a bit when they see the light back in Kakashi's eye. It scared them, to see their sensei staring back at them, eye seeing something both of them could not.

"You guys are so alike…"

Naruto was not sure whether to feel worried or not. What was Kakashi saying?

"I couldn't tell you guys, because you guys are too similar to the people I lost. " Indeed, every time Kakashi look at his team, he would see the striking resemblance between the team and his previous one. He just could not say it.

"Kakashi, you're awake!" Jiraiya jumped down from a branch and landed next to the trio.

"Jiraiya-sama." Kakashi greeted.

"I assume they told you about Matsuda."

Kakashi nodded , "yes, they did. And I heard about how you told them about my father." Kakashi made sure he glared at Jiraiya when he said the last sentence.

"Ah…"Jiraiya feigned a look of contemplation. He pretended he could not hear the reprimanding tone in Kakashi's voice.

"How did the search go?" Sakura asked quickly to stop the awkward moment.

"Ah yes. I found a lead. There's a small village nearby and I asked them if they saw Matsuda. After all, I doubt he could run far with that injury. A drunkard apparently saw Matsuda with a woman."

"A woman?" Naruto questioned.

"Yes. "

"Is this source reliable?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes. Even though that man was half drunk when he saw them, he remembered clearly because of all the blood on Matsuda's clothes. He said he never seen so much blood before."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Jiraiya. _There's only one person-maybe mine too- worth of blood…_

"It's a very peaceful village with no shinobi. It's normal for them not to see blood." Jiraiya explained.

"Who's the woman?"

"Don't know. But that woman but have skills, to be able to sneak up near us and save Matsuda without us knowing."

"So, what do we do next?" Naruto did not have a good feeling about this woman.

" We head to that village, and try to look for clues from there. Kakashi, I need your dogs. "

Kakashi nodded.

* * *

"Matsuda-sama."

Matsuda looked at the woman before him. She had tended to his wounds before he actually died, so Matusda had to give her credit for that. Not that she would appreciate it though.

"What?"

"Are you going to fight those Konoha shinobis again?" The woman asked monotonously.

"Yes." Matsuda stated plainly. No need for explanation for someone devoid of any emotions.

Matsuda felt his blood boil again. With hatred, wrath and warped up excitement about feeling Kakashi's warm blood on his hands again. He had been careless on his previous fight, but he was sure the same thing would not happen twice. After all, he was sure that the woman in front of him , could very well bring the famed copy ninja right to his death.

**YO! How was this chapter? I can't believe this is the 6****th**** chapter already… Thank you people for all these support and reviews. Love you guys! Sorry it's a little late. School homework level 9000!**

**So who's the woman? Please look forward to the next chapter!**

**Ciao~!**

**Lendrycia**


	7. Hideout

I do not own any part of the Naruto universe no matter how much I want to.

Indeed, it was a peaceful village. Thus, when Naruto and gang entered it with headbands and shinobi outfits, they received weird and sometimes worried glances. Kakashi had already sent his dogs to search for Matusda, and the only thing they could do while waiting for their return was to search for remaining clues in the village.

"This village behaved like they never seen shinobis before.." Naruto said offhandedly for the thousandth time as he received yet another glance that screams "you're weird'.

"Have you seen any weird old dude that has blood all over him?" Naruto questioned a random merchant. The merchant raised an eyebrow at Naruto as he had claimed he had seen flying unicorns sprouting rainbows. "Uh.. Nope. The closest I got is that man behind you," the merchant said, pointing at Jiraiya. Sakura sniggered, and Kakashi smirked.

Jiraiya was about to pounce over the merchant when they were interrupted by a low growl. Everyone turned to Naruto, who was smiling sheepishly. Sakura chuckled as it finally came to her that they had not eaten anything this entire day.

* * *

"Itadakimasu!" Naruto shouted and started wolfing down his food, while the others started on their own bowl, albeit at a much slower pace. Between mouthfuls of ramen, Naruto stole several glances at Kakashi. Sakura, too. Kakashi did not seem to notice their glances though, and even if he did, Naruto figured, Kakashi would not mind. After all, this was their first time for both of them to see their sensei actually chew.

"This is delicious!" Jiraiya exclaimed.

"DELICIOUS!"

Sakura nodded. She had to give credit to the chef; this ramen is awesome! Sakura looked at Kakashi, who was enjoying his food slowly with a smile on his face. Kakashi took a spoonful of the soup and smiled brightly as he drank it. _Sensei's really easy to read without the mask huh. He's behaving just like a kid!_

Jiraiya, of course, was aware of the situation around him. Naruto and Sakura were observing their sensei, and Kakashi simply enjoying his food. Nostalgia filled him when he saw Kakashi's grin. It was so innocent and pure. But Jiraiya knew the amount of grief that was simply temporarily hidden behind it. After all these Kakashi had been through, a simple good meal with his close ones would be bliss already.

Naruto almost smiled when he saw Kakashi's smile. Almost. He thought back to the different versions of Kakashi he saw today: the freaking scary anbu, the confused teenager, and now, the kid. It was as if Kakashi had somehow managed to seal himself into a box and only the needed parts of him would surface.

Despite the different thoughts in their minds, they were having a peaceful time. Kakashi appreciated it, that the mission was not mentioned at all. At least this proved that a normal meal was possible, even if at this time.

"Kakashi!" Pakkun said as he leaped on the table.

"Any news?" Kakashi questioned, serious mood switched on.

"Yes, We found Matsuda's scent in this cave just outside the village."

Kakashi nodded. "Well done, Pakkun. Take us there."

* * *

It was late at night by the time they reached the cave, however, all four of them paid maximum attention to the surroundings, and not once did they ever let their guard down. They let Matsuda escape once; they were not going to repeat the same mistake. It was eerily silent; the only sound heard was their muffled footsteps. Not even Naruto said a thing.

With a nod and a wave of his hand, Pakkun reluctantly disappeared in a puff of smoke. He knew he should not show personal emotions in a mission, but he could not shake off the bad feeling that was tugging him the entire time. _Please be safe, Kakashi._

"Be careful, you don't know what kind of traps Matsuda placed here." Jiraiya warned, as they sneaked into the shadows.

Naruto and Sakura gulped. The team treaded slowly and silently into the cave, with Kakashi taking the lead, and Jiraiya covering the back. Naruto ran his palm slowly against the rock wall as he followed Kakashi, feeling the jagged and sometimes sharp edges of it.

_Matsuda…_ Anger rose within Naruto thought of their previous encounter with Matsuda. _He caused so much pain, not only to sensei, but the family and friends of those he killed for pure entertainment as well. Bastard.._

Naruto almost banged into Kakashi's back when Kakashi stopped abruptly, nose twitching._ What did sensei smell?_

"Something's weird here."

Naruto raised an eyebrow; he sure did not feel any trace of chakra or notice anything. If anyone were to come close, he would definitely, or not, Jiraiya would sense the chakra. But Naruto was experienced enough to know not to question his sensei's words. He focused, while his hand continued tracing the rock wall. His felt his finger going up and down as it traced the rock edges, and suddenly, the edge beneath his fingertip sank.

Naruto had no time to react before he felt Kakashi dived into him roughly from the front, and a blade just barely missing him. The spot where the team used to stand just a second ago had various blades protruding from the side and the floor.

"Be careful!" Kakashi reprimanded lightly. Naruto was still a little shock from the fact that he almost got turned into a porcupine.

Sakura was safe, as Jiraiya had fortunately saved her just in time. Sakura glared at Naruto and hissed , "You almost got us all killed!" Naruto scratched the back of his head and apologized sheepishly.

"They probably realized that we're here. "

"W-What do we do now?" Sakura asked. She had been hoping to eliminate Matsuda with the element of surprise still by her side. That man is dangerous, that fact was made clear enough, and with the mysterious woman that was helping him, Sakura could not help but feel uneasy.

"We'll proceed." Jiraiya answered, He knew that he had to complete this mission as soon as possible, as this was never just a mission alone. It was a great and tough step for Kakashi to take, but he must take it nonetheless. Tsunade's voice rang in his mind, _Kakashi have to let go off his past! With you guys constantly protecting him like this, he'll never grow up and accept the fact that during emergencies, he cannot choose where he will be deployed._

Was it rash for Jiraiya to ask them to proceed? A little. But Naruto and Sakura understood Jiraiya's thinking.

Naruto stood up and sighed. In front of them, the cave was split into two lanes. _Wonderful…_

"We have to divide into two teams. Jiraiya-sama and Sakura would be one. Naruto and I would be another. Eliminate Matsuda the moment you see him."

The other three nodded in recognition.

* * *

As Jiraiya and Sakura treaded deeper into the dark cave, Sakura wondered if they should have stayed together after all. She looked at the Jiraiya's back and thought, not for the first time, how much does Jiraiya actually knows about her sensei. As if he heard her unspoken words, Jiraiya whispered, "Kakashi's been through many things. He'll be fine." Sakura smiled at Jiraiya's reassurance, and Jiraiya smiled back.

It all happened in a second. Jiraiya's smile immediately dispersed and his whole stature tensed, before turning back and grabbed air. When Sakura squinted, she saw it, the three thin needles in Jiraiya's hand, aimed to kill. Sakura shook away her small moment of uncertainty, and warned herself to pay attention to their attacker.

"Not bad."

_A woman?_

A figure appeared out of the shadow, and when she walked into the light, her beauty momentarily stunned Sakura.

"Who are you?" Jiraiya asked threateningly and Sakura was a little not used to his harsh tone towards such a beautiful woman.

The woman, who looked like she is in her mid twenties, gave no reply, instead continued staring at Jiraiya, face devoid of any emotion. Sakura then realized that the woman was deadly pale.

"It seems like I have to beat it out of you then!" Jiraiya shouted before charging towards her.

* * *

FINALLY DONE! OTL~ Sorry I took so long for this chapter and it ended up like this. Annoying writer's block. ARGH.

Anyway, I like to thank you awesome people for those reviews. They really kept me going. This is the 7th chapter, and I'm surprised that people are still reading :)

Thank you! Ciao!

Lendrycia


	8. Summon

I do not own any part of the Naruto universe no matter how much I want to.

* * *

Sakura watched with awe and slight horror at the scene in front of her. Jiraiya launched a punch towards their attacker, as she dodged with agility and speed. They were almost on par-almost. After all, Jiraiya's a sannin!

Jiraiya smirked as the woman dodged to where he expected. He swept out his right leg and the kick successfully caught her in the chest, pushing her far back towards the wall. Following the momentum, the woman jumped backwards, and planted both of her feet on the wall, and pushed, using the wall to propel her upwards. She threw several waves of her needles, and Jiraiya avoided them, not before getting one of the needles in his shoulder.

"Jiraiya-sama!" Sakura shouted, as Jiraiya roughly pulled out the needle.

"Tsk!" _She's fast…_

That was when a thought clicked in Jiraiya's head. Throughout the fight, the woman was simply dodging and only occasionally throwing out some offensive attacks. Initially, Jiraiya thought that that was her style: using speed and agility to first tire out the opponent, and then deliver the finishing blow. However, if she was really ordered to kill us, she could jolly well finish off Sakura first, yet, she simply ignored her. Jiraiya knew that Sakura was strong, but against an opponent with such speed, her strength would not be much of a use.

Alarms started ringing in Jiraiya's head. _If the woman's ordered to stall us, what do Matsuda have in mind for Kakashi and Naruto? _

Kakashi and Naruto both gasped at the room in front of them. They had walked for around 10 minutes without any new discoveries, except for more walls, till they found this room.

It was a gruesome sight, well, and smell. The room practically screamed blood, even before they entered it. The room was dim, and there were a couple of beds with white sheets, albeit it was now caked with dried blood, and the white was not much visible anymore. There were shackles and chains on the bed, presumably to pin down patient, or what this room suggests, the experiment. The tables were cluttered with used medical instruments and capsules with suspicious liquids and solutions. The floor was strewn with shattered test tubes and clots of dried blood.

"What the hell happened here?" Naruto asked out loud. He did not like this. Whatever Matsuda did here was definitely not good.

Kakashi treaded into the room and carefully picked up a capsule. He observed the purple liquid in it for a moment, and sniffed it.

"What's it?"

Kakashi shook his head, "I don't know."

"You wouldn't." A familiar cold voice echoed.

Kakashi and Naruto turned to their newcomer, and they swiftly got into their fighting stance.

Matsuda stood by the door, his cold piercing eyes examining them. "As expected. I would be disappointed if you simply died like that."

Matsuda chuckled, and that was when Naruto noticed that he was completely fine. Matsuda was not wearing the shirt he wore previously, only the vest hung over his shoulder. Even with medics, the wound Kakashi afflicted on him was no way something that could heal within a week. Matsuda must have caught the surprise in Naruto's expression, as he grinned.

"Surprised? Why am I completely fine?" Kakashi frowned, there's no way-

"I'll show you why!" Matsuda launched at Kakashi and swung his sword, which Kakashi blocked with his kunai. Kakashi swept his leg outwards, and Matsuda jumped, as he slashed his sword downward. Kakashi jumped back and charged forward with a raikiri.

"Raikiri!"

"This move again?" Matsuda said with chilling calmness as he gracefully dodged every attempt Kakashi did to thrust his hand into Matsuda's chest. Kakashi's eyes widened, _he's simply dodging raikiri like this?! _

Naruto pondered as he seeks for an opening, the strength of Matsuda. He had never seen anyone who managed to evade the Raikiri as if it was a simple shuriken or 2.

Matsuda and Kakashi continued their attacks, both relentlessly trying to cut the other down. Naruto felt a bead of cold sweat roll down his cheek as he watched the fight unfolding itself in front of him. _At least sensei is not in anbu mode.._

Yes, despite the clear malice Kakashi had not bothered hiding in the fight, it was clear that Kakashi was still being, well, Kakashi. Heck, Naruto was not even sure who Kakashi is anymore. Maybe it's the look in Kakashi's eyes, Naruto figured, that thankfully had light and life in them.

Several times Kakashi stole a glance at Naruto, he could see the worry evident in both of the blue orbs. He was glad that Matsuda stayed silent most of the time, and did not bother with those sadistic taunts of his, as he was not sure if he could keep himself from turning into full force anbu mode. He saw the fear and worry in the eyes of both of his students when he recovered from his.. retreat-into-the-mind.

_There! _Naruto charged forward, 'RASENGAN!' Matsuda's eyes widened for a split second at the sudden attack, and ducked under Naruto, and swiftly gave him a punch in the chest. _Fa-Fast! _Naruto felt the pain shoot into himself, as he grunted and fell to the floor.

Matsuda smirked for a moment, till Naruto poof-ed into the air, and vanished. "Kage bunshin?!" It was enough of a distraction for Kakashi to thrust his arm through Matsuda's chest.

Blood spluttered through Matsuda's punctured chest, as Kakashi fist crackled with electricity. Matsuda felt the blood rise up his throat and force themselves out his mouth, as he gagged and choked on them. Kakashi removed his bloodied arm, and Matsuda dropped to the floor, still desperately clinging on to life. "It's over," Kakashi muttered, just loud enough for Matsuda to hear.

"No..No, it isn't!' Matsuda struggled to say, and before Kakashi could finish him off, he did one last seal.

"Kuchiyose no jutsu!"

"Tell us your plans," Jiraiya warned with a still, cold voice to the bounded woman in front of him. Jiraiya had managed to defeat the woman, and the duo had hoped that the woman could give them some information of Matsuda's plans. However, all their tries were futile, and Jiraiya was starting to get really irritated, despite how calm he looks.

The woman continued staring at her 2 captors with the blank eyes of hers, and remained still. In fact, too still. A thought flashed through Jiraiya's mind as he observed the woman's unnervingly motionless figure. _She's not moving. Not even struggling… Wait, she does not even look like she's breathing._

Jiraiya swiftly placed 2 of his fingers by her neck and checked for a pulse. One second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds. Nothing. "She's not human. Or at least, not alive."

Sakura's gasp was clearly heard, as it echoed in the empty chamber. "Wha- How?"

Jiraiya shook his head grimly. Darn. "It seems like this is much more complicated than we though." True. Initially, it was supposed to be a simple extermination of a serial murderer, and then it evolved, to some kind of long-term feud between the said murderer and Kakashi. Now, with what it seemed like a walking corpse, darn, forget walking, completely fighting corpse into the equation, things are getting not that innocent as they had ever imagined.

"Somebody had been studying on this sort of forbidden jutsu."

"Matsuda?"

"Probably," Jiraiya sighed, and turned to Sakura, who was obviously worried, "now we just have another reason to finish him off." _And with this knowledge, he could easily be 3 times stronger than we thought he was. _

Both Jiraiya and Sakura were caught off guard, when the woman disappeared in a puff of smoke. The wire that was previously tied to the woman fell loosely on the floor.

"A summoning!?" Sakura exclaimed.

Jiraiya nodded. The only one possible to summon this woman was Matsuda, and if he found it necessary to summon her, there's a high possibility that Kakashi and Naruto are…

"We need to find Kakashi and Naruto! "

* * *

Hello! Lendy here! I'm so sorry for the extremely late update. I went overseas for an overseas immersion trip and the Internet connection was really horrible. (PLUS, the lessons were really hectic.) Anyway, I apologize again for this chapter to turn out like this. I'm having trouble finding ways to continue, so please give me some suggestions! PLEASE!

The recent chapters of the manga's really screwing my head around,huh.

Eh, for those who had supported me this far, and kept on reading to this chapter, I'm really grateful! I promise I'll update sooner, and that's all for now! Bye!

(On a side note, I'm starting on my other story, so please look forward to it!)

-Lendrycia


	9. Wartime

**I do not own any part of the Naruto universe no matter how much I want to. Hope you guys enjoyed this!**

"N-No way…"

Kakashi stared at the summon in front of him, eyes seeing yet not believing. There's no way she could be here. Impossible..

Naruto was taken aback by the summoning as well. Out of all the possible things to summon as a last resort, Naruto definitely did not have a woman in mind. Wait, is it even possible to summon a human? Despite all the questions in his mind, Naruto stayed on guard, and waited for his sensei's instructions. But when nothing came, he turned to Kakashi, and was shocked to see him frozen to the spot, eyes widened and hands slightly trembling.

"Rin…"

"Sensei, you know this person?"

Yes. Yes he did. This is a trap. There's no way Rin would still be here, much more, alive. Yet, it was hard to pretend like he did not want her to be alive. To be back. Rin was innocent in the first place. She did nothing. But..

_She paid the price for my mistake._

Kakashi's fingers clenched tightly around the kunai, and in a way, he somehow hoped that the grip could cut his palm through.

"Sensei!"

Naruto's loud voice dragged Kakashi back to reality. Kakashi shook his thoughts away, at least, for a moment before it will all come back, dawning on him like a wave, much stronger than before.

"S-She a konoha shinobi. She's supposed to be dead 6 years ago."

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed, alarmed. "How could she be here then?"

Kakashi focused on the woman in front of him, desperately trying to block out the voice in his head. The woman, despite having the complete appearance of Rin, -_the brown hair, before it was dyed red, and the eyes that were full of anguish and despair as she stared at you unbeliev,- _is behaving completely different from the Rin that Kakashi know. Her movements were unnervingly still-_is that because of the kunai that was plunged into her thigh then?- _and robotic, as if the body does not have any life in it-_how ironic you're the one that killed her aren't you? _

Shut up! Kakashi shut his eyes tightly together hoping against hope that it could just soften the annoying voice in his head. _It's your fault.  
_

Naruto observed as the woman in front of him walked stiffly to Matsuda, and splayed her palms over the wound in his chest. Green chakra started to glow around her hands, as the healing process started. Naruto turned to his sensei immediately for the next instruction, but Kakashi remained silent. _Wait, is his eyes closed? _ Knowing that there was no time to spare, Naruto charged in, "Don't you dare heal him, you bastard!"

The woman easily dodged the punch Naruto aimed at her, and stepped away from her master. "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" 3 more clones appeared beside and together, they started attacking the woman.

The woman jumped away from the kick from the clone below, and while she was air borne, a second one appeared from the back with a kick. She swiftly grabbed the ankle before the foot reaches her, and tossed the clone towards the wall. The clone collided with wall and disappeared with a 'poof!' The moment the woman touched the floor; she jumped upwards again, using the floor to propel her further. She turned and before Naruto could realize, the clone disappeared as the needles ran through him. She gracefully landed, but Naruto was not done.

"Rasengan!" The last clone dispersed after doing his job to create the rasengan and the real Naruto slammed the rasengan right on the woman's chest. Naruto grinned as the woman flew backwards, with an obvious hole in her chest. Naruto turned to Kakashi who seemed to be still in his trance, and walked towards him.

Unknown to him, the hole in the woman's chest started to heal at a rapid rate, and within seconds, there was not even a scratch at where the wound is supposed to be. The woman stood up ever so silently, and threw 3 needles at the unsuspecting victim.

Naruto was worried now. His sensei stood silently with his eyes shut and eyebrows furrowed, as if he's trying to block out something Naruto cannot see. "Sensei?" Naruto tried, but to no avail. "Sens-AHH!

That scream. _Naruto.. NARUTO!_ Kakashi opened his eyes, just in time to feel a weight falling on him. He caught the figure, and tilted the ever so familiar face towards him. There were no blue orbs staring back. Kakashi felt the sickening feeling of damp, sticky blood spreading at Naruto's back, to his own hand. Following the blood to the core, Kakashi touched the cold, smooth surface of needle that was definitely not supposed to be there. Blood drained of Kakashi's face when he saw the 3 needles protruding out of his favorite student's back.

"Sensei!" Sakura's shouted as she saw the familiar figure in front of her. She leaped beside him, and felt her heart stop a beat. Right in her sensei's hands, is Naruto.. unconscious, and bleeding. A lot.

"Sakura! Snap out of it!" Jiraiya's voice boomed right beside her, and Sakura felt something click inside her. Her master's past words rang in her mind..

"_Sakura, the life of everybody in the team relies on the medic's skills. If the medic could not be reliable at the worst time, who will?"_

Sakura carefully laid Naruto on the floor, and felt for a pulse. Thankfully, there was one. Weak, but still there. She gave Kakashi an assuring nod. "I'll do my best. He'll be fine."

Dark chuckle that erupted to loud, insane laughter filled the room and echoed in the caves. "Weak." Matsuda said, as he stood in the middle of the room, with absolutely no signs of a scratch, and Rin following behind him.

"It's because of you again isn't it?" Matsuda's words pierced Kakashi like an ice sword, dragging its way down his chest so very painfully. It was as if Matsuda could read Kakashi's mind and managed to pull out the very thoughts Kakashi would never want to believe in, even if he did. The thoughts being said out loud made Kakashi feel much worse, as he could feel the hidden emotions revolving those thoughts slowly creeping to the surface, all the guilt, sadness, and anger. "You've walked a long road, Kakashi." Matsuda started again. "But don't you realize? Death awaits everyone around you." _Stop. _Kakashi pleaded in his mind. He don't want to hear it. _I beg you, please! _"People die because of you, Kakashi!" _Shut up! Shut up, shut up!_

A huge weight lifted off Sakura shoulders when she felt Naruto's pulse increases steadily. _He's in safe zone now, but he lost too much blood to be close to norm-_

"SHUT UP!" Kakashi screamed and charged towards Matsuda, too quickly to be held back by both Jiraiya and Sakura.

"Crap!" Jiraiya exclaimed as Kakashi leaped into the air, and swung his kunai downwards at Matsuda.

_Stop talking! Just.. _"Shut up!" Kakashi yelled again, as he swung yet another slash at Matsuda. Kakashi's body seemed to move by its own, and for once, Kakashi's mind did not hinder with it. _Anything is fine. Anything. Just stop him from talking. _

"Raikiri!" Kakashi screamed, and Matsuda sidestepped to his left once again, with a smirk on his face. Matsuda struck Kakashi's temple with the back of his hand with great force, which sent Kakashi crashing into the wall.

"Sensei!"

"Pathetic. It's your weakness that killed them right?"

_No! _"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Kakashi screamed as he leaped out of the rubble and lunged, throwing a punch at Matsuda. Matsuda easily caught his fist and pulled Kakashi towards his side, and swiftly smashed his elbow into Kakashi's back. Numbness crept up Kakashi's spine, and as Kakashi felt the floor's full impact smashing into him, air escaped his lungs, leaving him gasping when the numbness in his spine was swiftly replaced by excruciating pain. A coppery liquid that was unfortunately too familiar to Kakashi rose up his throat, threatening to spill out between the lips.

Fingers digging into the floor, Kakashi pressed his palms into the rock floor, but his attempt was rendered useless, as Matsuda mercilessly pressed his feet deeper into Kakashi's back.

Sakura could swear she heard something crack.

"Sensei!" Sakura yelled.

Jiraiya cursed under his breath, and ran towards Kakashi, along with Sakura. Matsuda exerted more force into his foot as a warning to the incoming duo, and Kakashi bit back a scream.

"Let go of sensei!" Sakura felt her eyes tearing up. She thought back to her sensei's actions, how he recklessly charged into battle, yelling for the opponent to shut up. It was as if the calm, reliable sensei she knew disappeared, and in his position, stood an enraged kid who just saw his favorite toy smashed in pieces in front of him, all the wrath and anger blinding his thoughts, and frustration overshadowing his actions.

A smile tugged on Matsuda's mouth, as he looked at the girl desperate to save her teacher, and then at Kakashi. "How nostalgic huh? You being at my mercy, and me, merciless." Matsuda turned his gaze to Rim. "She died for nothing." _Stop. Please. _"How many years have it been? 6?"

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! " Kakashi screamed.

A dark chuckle rose from Matsuda's throat as he enjoyed the sick joy of seeing Kakashi's plain denial. How long had it been, since he last seen this expression painfully mixed with guilt, sadness and anger.

He remembered clearly, the first time he saw this pair of ash grey eyes. It was so full of innocence then, with a tinge of sadness the owner desperately tried to hide, while waving his father goodbye, as the father left for yet another mission. Matsuda had seen him often then, while he waited for the kid's father to join them for the mission. "It's wartime", the father would explain, on some particularly bad days when the kid would cling onto his father's leg for his dear life, not letting go. Matsuda wondered, if the kid would actually understand the term 'wartime', and the problems it bring about. But the kid did. He would nod, and whisper a soft good luck, before returning to the house, with his head held low, as if hiding his face from the world. Matsuda would always steal a glance at the kid, and was not surprised, when the innocence in the kid's eyes fades a little every other time he saw him. It was Matsuda that noticed first. How the kid was slowly shaped into the perfect ninja since young, because before long, the innocence that should have been there in abundance in every other kid his age, was gone, replaced by the cold determination to uphold every rule and expectation a shinobi should have. Matsuda remembered, it was then he decided.

It would be fun to break a shinobi like him.

* * *

**You guys probably hate me big time for updating this late huh. I'm so so sorry! you guys are probably sick of this too.**

**I was really really busy with the new school term, so please forgive me! :) Special thanks to stasienka, for reminding me about how there are still people reading my stories, and giving me an extra push~! :D**

**This chapter's slightly longer than usual, so I hoped you guys enjoyed it! I always wanted to write how Kakashi wasnt allowed a normal childhood, which I think everyone is deserved to have. Next chapter would be rather sad, so please watch out for that ne~**

**Until next time! Ciao!**

**- Lendrycia **


	10. Fears

I do not own any part of the Naruto universe no matter how much I want to.

Naruto vaguely noticed the dull pain throbbing at his back, along with the muffled voices from afar, as if a veil covered and blurred his senses. Thoughts of the day's event slowly came to him, and pulling him towards reality.

Naruto blinked. The previously blurred silhouette cleared and the first thing Naruto recognized was the familiarly large back of Jiraiya, and Sakura's beautiful form. A groan escaped his mouth, as he felt the muscles around his injury stretch in his attempt to get up. Sakura turned back sharply with teary eyes, and let out a breath of relief. "Naruto!" Sakura smiled, "stay down. Rest for a while." She then turned her back towards him again, her posture tensed as ever.

Something was not right. "S-Sakura-chan." Naruto pushed himself up, _what are they looking at? Where's sensei? _ As if someone heard Naruto's unspoken question, a dark chuckle answered him from in front of Jiraiya and Sakura.

Naruto's eyes widened as he understanding crept in slowly. There he was. The teacher that he respected and loved, was now reduced to an unmoving body under the foot of someone Naruto had quickly grown to hate and despise. Said person turned his gaze to Naruto, and grinned. "So you're awake. You're good," he turned to Sakura, "I wonder who's better. You? Or Rin?"

"SENSEI!" Naruto shouted, hoping to get a response from Kakashi, but there was none. "You bastard," Naruto charged in, but was stopped by Jiraiya's outstretched hand.

"Calm down," Jiraiya said in a low voice.

"What do you want with Kakashi?" Jiraiya turned to Matsuda, voice dipped deep in malice.

"Hmm.." Matsuda said with feigned ignorance, and then stared sharply into Jiraiya's eyes, with a voice so cold and twisted, " I want to break him."

Matsuda have to admit, this day was going great. Except for the part when Kakashi had his arm through his chest. The expression on the blonde boy and the pink girl were priceless. The sannin skillfully kept his face expressionless, though his eyes did widened for a split second. How long would he be able to keep his emotions in check? What if…

_Wha- _Naruto could not believe his ears. And judging from Sakura's expression, she couldn't either. A sick smile tug on Matsuda's face as if something clicked in his mind. Naruto did not know what, but he would definitely dislike it.

"Rin." Matsuda gave Rin a look, and that was all it took. Rin nodded at the unspoken orders.

_Now!_ Jiraiya screamed in his head, and charged towards Matsuda, while Matsuda was seemingly occupied, even for a second. 3 needles narrowly shot pass Jiraiya's head, and the next thing he knew, Rin was standing in front of Matsuda and Kakashi. She ran towards Jiraiya, clashing her needle at Jiraiya's kunai. _This woman, she's strong! _Jiraiya could feel Rin's arm buckling from his own force, _But not strong enough! _ He stole a glance at Matsuda over the shoulder of Rin, and dread crept over him. Matsuda was smiling. _It's a trap! _Jiraiya looked down, just in time to see Rin throwing 2 smoke bombs with her free hand.

Grey smoke exploded from the 2 bombs, blocking Jiraiya's vision completely. The force going against his was swiftly removed, and Jiraiya reached out, hoping to be fast enough to grab Rin before she escapes. Unfortunately, he only grabbed air. Desperate, he waved his hand in front of his face, hoping against hope that it the smoke could be dispersed quickly enough.

_Damn it! How can I be this careless! Kakash-_

There was nothing.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto and Sakura screamed, defeat mocking at them in the form of their missing teacher.

_Their scents are gone…_

Naruto clenched his fist, there must be a way to get him back! Definitely! _They are probably not far_.. Naruto yelled in frustration, and ran out of the room, images of Kakashi's past teachings flashing in his mind, his body leading him towards the exit. _Please, please! _Naruto begged in his mind, as the exit of the cave came closer and closer to him. _Let me make it in time!_

Nothing. Then it finally dawned upon him. Kakashi is taken away. And not only that, he was taken away by Matsuda in front of the three of them. Naruto gritted his teeth, as guilt slowly crept in. _Another one.._

A hand gripped his shoulder firmly, " We will get him back," Jiraiya said. Naruto forced a smile, and looked back to see Jiraiya's wide grin, as if to reassure his unsaid worries. Naruto nodded, and turned to Sakura who was standing behind Jiraiya.

"Sakura-chan, we'll definitely get him back. I promise!" Naruto flashed her one of his signature grin, and with wet eyes, Sakura smiled.

"Their scents are gone, and we have no idea where they might have gone. We'll have to investigate."

"We must be quick," Sakura added. Matsuda's cold words echoed in her mind, _'I want to break him'. _

Naruto and Jiraiya nodded grimly, both understanding the underlying meaning in that line. Jiraiya walked back into the caves, " There may be clues back in the there. Hopefully there'll be something that tells us where Matsuda may have went."

Sakura and Naruto followed, but said nothing, both too occupied worrying about their teacher. They quicken their pace, as they knew every second wasted would definitely not bode well for Kakashi.

"Over here!" Jiraiya's voice echoed along the walls of the caves. Naruto instinctively ran towards the voice, with Sakura following behind, hope rising slightly within them.

Files. Despite the desperation and fear in them, Naruto and Sakura could not help but be in awe when the first entered the room. "Wow," Naruto murmured.

Unlike the rest of the caves, and the rooms they did entered, this room was neat, and clean. It was a large room, with high ceilings, packed with shelves and cupboards, with a table at the side, no doubt for Matsuda to use for whatever research and studies he is doing. The massive amount of files and books were carefully placed in shelves orderly that immediately reminded Sakura of a library.

"W-Wait! We have to search through all this?" Naruto exclaimed.

"We have no choice. Other than this, we have no idea where could they be going." Sakura explained.

"But, with this large amount of stuffs we have to search through, Kakashi-sensei could be, be" Naruto paused, "be dead by then!"

Sakura stiffened as Naruto mentioned the d-word. She hated it. The idea of her ever-reliable sensei not being there anymore.. It hurts.

"And, there may not be anything here!"

A sigh escaped Jiraiya's lips from behind the shelves. "Naruto, this is the only choice we have. Stop wasting time and search."

"But-"

" Matsuda won't kill Kakashi. At least, not yet. You heard what he said earlier just now right? He wants to break him. Now, we just to rely on Kakashi to stay strong for a while." Jiraiya's fingers dug into the files as he tried to contain the anger boiling in him. They may have distanced in these past years, but Jiraiya would always remember the times they shared when Kakashi was truly happy, when life have not yet turned it's back against him. Not the first time, Jiraiya wondered why does life seems to hate Kakashi, hurling waves and waves of pain and hurt at him since he was a kid.

It was good that Naruto finally stopped complaining and started searching instead. He would have no way else to convince him.

Hours passed silently, the only noise being Naruto occasional grunts and he shuffling of papers. It was an extensive collection of books and files regarding jutsus, and medical knowledge, and Naruto's patience is running thin. There is no way what they want to find out will be here! He was about to voice his unhappiness when he noticed a couple of bright red file standing out amongst the others sitting at the corner of a shelf. Curious, he took the first one and started flipping through it.

It was details about a shinobi, whose name is crossed out with bright red ink. A picture of said shinobi was attached as well, and Naruto could not help but feel slightly disgusted as the files contains every, yes, every detail of that shinobi. Covering from his address, to his background, and his fears. It was as if Matsuda made a thorough breakdown in the person mental space and put it down to words. It was unnerving.

The next few red files were the same. Each, holding information about one shinobi, all with names crossed out with ink that it was illegible. The next one, Naruto noticed, was much thicker than the rest. He flipped the cover open, and his felt his heart stopped a little when he saw its contents.

A pair of hazel eyes stared back at Naruto, with silver hair reaching his eyebrows. It felt strange for Naruto, to see his sensei so young, no scars, and no sharingan. _He's probably just 5 years old here…_

"Over here!"

Jiraiya and Sakura hastily rushed over to Naruto, and Naruto handed them the files, hands trembling. Their eyes widened when they first saw Kakashi's kid photograph on it, but quickly recovered and scanned through the entire file. At the back page, Sakura contemplated not reading. It was as though all the carefully built up walls Kakashi erected around himself to keep his past away from others were torn down, and she is given an entire tutorial of it. It felt.. wrong. Nonetheless, she continued, _sensei's life is at stake!_

**Weakness:**

**1) Chakra depletion **_Makes sense._

**2) Self thrown guilt **_True._

**3) Size** _Sensei would be so angry with this_.

**4) Childhood**

Then it clicked. "I know!" Jiraiya exclaimed, a little too loud. Not like the other 2 bothered. _How could I not notice? _"Come on! I'll explain later!" He rushed out of the room, leaving the two younger shinobis looking at each other, confused about whatever Jiraiya could have learnt from the information. But one thing they knew, they smiled as they followed the sannin with hopes slightly higher than when they first stepped in.

_Wait for us! Sensei!_

Tada~

It's been too long! This time, I apologize for not only posting late, I got some of your hopes high huh. Sorry! To be frank, this chapter went nowhere I thought it would go. Next chapter would be more on our poor little Kakashi. It's a scene I always wanted to write.

OH! Good news for all! My holidays started, so I'll definitely be more active in writing and posting. :D

Thanks for the reviews, faves ,follows and PMs! They keep me writing! Until next time!

-Lendrycia


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